The Wolf's Teeth Are Red
by Therm
Summary: Final chapter added! The group are forced to ask themselves more question about infection and how it's spread when an unfortunate incident means one of their number could become infected. Daryl angst, hurt comfort.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Wolf's Teeth Are Red  
**Summary: **The group are forced to ask themselves more question about infection and how it's spread when an unfortunate incident means one of their number could become infected.  
**Notes: **This story takes place after my little story 'A Slice of Normal', hence the dog. If you haven't already read that you can easily read this story just knowing the fact that Daryl found a dog. The title comes from the song by Thrice 'The Lion and the Wolf'.

* * *

_**"The Lion's outside of your door, the Wolf's in your bed**_

_**The Lion's claws are sharpened for war, the Wolf's teeth are red."**_

* * *

He didn't always hunt now, sometimes he just stepped outside the prison walls for the hell of it.

Like right now, he was checking everything was secure. Well, they all knew it was but the added assurance that he was checking made them sleep a little easier and it gave him his space. The dog had come out with him. Carl had ended up naming her Bella, which Daryl thought was a stupid name for a dog but hadn't said anything. He never used the dogs name anyway so it mattered little to him.

While Daryl was happy to stay near the front of the prison, working on sharpening his knife he let the dog wander around freely.

It wasn't until he heard her yelp that he realised how stupid that was. He was stood up in an instant and feared the worst, waiting to see a walker, or a herd of them, heading his way. However, he didn't see a sign of any walkers and he couldn't see Bella either, the grass surrounding the prison was over grown and obscured the view. He called the dog to him and eventually he saw the grass moving about in such a way that he was sure it was her coming towards him and sure enough, she came towards him, limping along, not wanting to put too much weight on one of her back legs. Daryl called her to him and as she came to a stop by him, he petted her, trying to reassure her as he looked for what might have caused her discomfort. Her leg looked fine to him and he guessed she might have injured it in some other way, maybe something simple like twisting it had caused her pain.

Then he made a crucial mistake, something he knew better than to do, especially when it came to animals.

He hadn't realised that the dog had a bite on her. After checking her lame leg he'd gently stroked her and hadn't seen the bite mark on her. He'd grazed it with his hand and the dog had reacted instinctively, biting to protect itself.

Daryl recoiled his own hand immediately, suddenly losing trust in the dog, however after it's defensive bite, it looked like it knew it had done wrong by him and lowered it's head. He realised that he'd just hurt the dog and all it had done was try and protect itself. He rubbed the dogs head cautiously and then checked her more carefully for any other bites.

He could only see the one and while it was bleeding and sore, he didn't think it was too bad. He couldn't help wonder what had caused it. It looked too small for a walker to have done and any walker that had bitten a dog would surely have followed it back. There was still no sign of anything out there but he wasn't happy to just let it go. He made his way back inside.  
Maggie was on watch and he told her that the dog had been bitten and her Dad needed to take a look at it. She tried to ask him where he was going when he turned back around and went outside again but he paid little attention to her or her words.

He headed out towards the area he'd seen Bella come back from and headed towards the trees. He knew from when he walked around out here himself with her that she usually came to the edge of the trees and spent her time sniffing around happily. As he got closer he could hear a strange sound. Kinda like a walker but not quite the same and he couldn't really tell how it was different. Not sure what he was looking for, he moved around slowly and carefully in the tall grass. He could tell the sound was coming from close to the trees and stepped through the tall grass towards it.

Behind him, Rick emerged from the prison hearing sketchy details from Maggie about the dog being bitten. But she'd seen Daryl's hand bleeding too and panicked. She'd come across Rick first and told him who'd now followed Daryl outside. He began to follow Daryl towards the trees where the hunter was slowly checking around for some kind of danger. From what Rick could tell with how Daryl held his crossbow low, he wasn't expecting a walker. Daryl turned slightly hearing someone approaching him and saw Rick but quickly turned back to whatever was making the noise somewhere unseen.

His eyes happened to catch a flash of red and he saw that Maggie was right, Daryl had been bitten as well although it didn't seem to hamper him a lot.

"Your bit?" Rick asked, voice hushed.

"Was the dog," was all Daryl offered as an explanation for now as he tried to concentrate on the job at hand.

Rick grimaced at the thought of the commotion they'd get back to but he kept his eyes open and assisted Daryl in looking for the creature making the weird noise.

That's when they found it. Half concealed under some wild plants was a very young walker. Rick hadn't seen a walker so young before, it was bad enough when he'd seen children Carl's age turned into such hideous creatures but this thing, it couldn't be any older than three or four.

Daryl moved around to one side and moved some of the plant aside revealing that one leg had been pulled right off, the other was badly twisted in such a way that it was mostly useless. It's arms were missing too, forcing the creature to just have to lay squirming in the grass, unable to move. He realised it was why the bite on the dog was so low.

Rick looked like he was about to hurl and Daryl felt pretty sickened by the sight himself. He was prepared to put the thing down but before he even had a chance to take aim, Rick had shot it, ending the short life.

Daryl couldn't help but take a closer look. The leg had clearly been ripped off and he wondered if that was how the child died, bleeding out like that wouldn't have taken long. But the missing limbs were a lot cleaner, like they'd been cut off and he wondered why someone would leave a walker like that. He wasn't exactly a fan of them but to do that was some sick shit. He stood up again and looked to Rick, who he realised was staring at the bite mark on his hand.

He immediately felt defensive. "What?"

"People are going to be worried about that," Rick said, indicating to the bite mark unnecessarily.

"So? I told ya, was the dog," Daryl explained again, feeling there was no need to tell Rick what he'd already told him.

"The dog that was bit by a walker," Rick stated.

"It's a dog bite, Rick. No walker bit me."

"Yeah, but the dog was bitten by a walker," Rick said, trying to keep things calm but he couldn't help but feel a slight panic at the prospect that one of their group had just been infected.

"You think it works like that? Dog gets bit, now cause it bit me, I'm done for?" Daryl questioned.

"I don't know. I don't know if the dog will be fine. Maybe it doesn't affect them, I don't know. Maybe they can carry the virus though. Maybe they can pass it on... I don't know. I'm just saying, we need to be cautious," Rick said.

Daryl stared at Rick for a few moments before his face creased in frustration. "To hell with you, Grimes," Daryl said before storming back towards the prison.

* * *

Daryl hadn't spoke to anyone when he got back to the prison and they knew him well enough to know that he wasn't in the mood. When he got to the cell he had made his room the dog was already in there waiting for him. It wagged it's tail at his appearance and had the same slightly nervous look about it as though it was waiting for him to tell it off. He petted the dog before he lay down on the bed and tried not to think about what had happened out there a short time ago with Rick, knowing that all it would do was frustrate him more and he wasn't really going to be able to blow off steam.

He lay there quietly for quite a while before he heard the footsteps approaching. He assumed it'd be Rick and was mildly surprised to see Hershel stood there.

It was obvious that he knew what was going on, about the bite and the dog. He just waited for Hershel to say something. He didn't have to wait long.

"Mind if I take a look at that bite?"

"Mine or the dogs?" Daryl replied.

"Well, both would be good. But I'd like to start with yours."

Daryl sat up and Hershel took that as an invitation to fully enter the room. He approached the bed and pulled the chair forward that was against the wall and sat on it so he could inspect the wound.

"Can you tell?" Daryl asked. He didn't need to say it any clearer than that, they both knew what he meant.

"Not this early. For what it's worth, I don't think the dog is infected and I don't think that even if it was it could pass it on to you like that. But I don't know, I'm just making assumptions," Hershel reassured him. "We can just keep an eye on it. Now, I'd like to give you some antibiotics, just in case and clear the wound up and wrap it, just to keep it clean. And then we'll take a look at the dog, okay?"

* * *

They hadn't talked about things calmly.

There'd been an air of panic within the group when Maggie had told them about Daryl and the dog being bitten. Rick had gone over the story with them, stressing that Daryl had been bitten by the dog, not a walker but the fears were the same.

They were worried Daryl could still become infected, worried the dog was a time bomb and might bite anyone of them. Lori had swore Carl away from the dog. The dog had decided that Daryl was it's master now and seemed pretty content to stay by his side.

If that wasn't enough of an issue, Hershel had more bad news for them.

"All the antibiotics are gone," He'd told them.

"What?"

"I assume the last people to leave this place, prison guards or whoever cleared out the supplies they had. All I've been able to give him are painkillers and not even very strong ones. We don't have anything stronger once those are gone either. I haven't told him what I gave him, he didn't ask and I didn't offer anything up. The mind can be a pretty powerful healer itself so hopefully just taking something might make him feel better."

"What about the stuff Daryl had?"

"We used most of it on T Dog's blood infection. Daryl had the rest after his near miss," Hershel recalled.

"So we're gonna need to make a run for supplies?" Glenn said, feeling like he was about to be asked to go out with Maggie yet again.

"I'll go," T Dog offered.

"Wait a minute, it's dangerous. For all we know Daryl's infected and this isn't going to do any good. Risking more people, is that the right thing to do?" Lori asked.

"You're right, he might be infected. If he isn't and his infection gets bad, he'll die anyway and we'll have the same problem. In light of it being pretty essential in our survival, I'd say this was a supply that was worth the risk," Hershel said.

"I'll go with you," Glenn offered T Dog.

"Are you two happy to go together, or do you need anyone else?"

"I think we'll be good," T Dog said, looking to Glenn who nodded in agreement.

"You're not going too?" Lori asked.

"We need someone back here to keep watch and I'd feel better if someone was around to keep an eye on Daryl,"

"I can do that," Carol voluteered.

Rick nodded, hoping she would offer it seeing as Daryl seemed to be quite happy around her. Glenn and T Dog headed off to ready themselves for their journey. Carol also left the group but headed to get Daryl some food and water before going to see him, wanting to have a reason to visit him rather than just sitting there without a reason.

"You want me on watch?" Maggie offered.

"Thanks. Take Beth with you if you want."

"What are you going to do," Lori asked.

"I was going to do dinner."

Lori nodded. "Carl, come and help me and your Dad, okay?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This chapters a little bit short but I wanted to get these bits done before I pressed on with the following chapters. Hope you like it anyway.

**2. **

Glenn and T Dog had grabbed a map of the surrounding town that they'd found when clearing the place out, studying it carefully. There was a very small populated area near here which they suspected was houses and further out there seemed to be a larger town. They agreed to hit the houses and try to find supplies there first as there seemed to be enough buildings there and if they had no luck, they would try the town.

They went through the route they were taking with Hershel. They also worked out that once they checked the houses, they'd be best off coming back to the prison and going back to town the following day if they weren't lucky enough to get any supplies. If they hadn't got back to the prison by nightfall they were to stay put where they were and the others would come and find them. If it were too dangerous to stay there, they agreed to retrace their steps to meet with their would be rescuers to make sure they didn't run into trouble themselves. With all basis covered they headed out.

"Can you believe the two of us are heading out to get supplies for a Dixon?" T Dog asked as he drove.

Glenn had drawn out a sketch of the map, leaving the others the main map. "I'm like the supply guy. I always get the stuff for everyone."

T Dog shook his head. "I mean because it's a Dixon. Not exactly singing out praises when we were back at the quarry were they?"

"Oh, well I guess not. It was Merle more than Daryl. I think... I don't think Daryl's like Merle though, do you?"

"A red neck's a red neck."

Glenn looked across to T Dog for a moment. "That's probably how Merle looks at it too."

"You tryin' to say somethin'?"

"Yeah, I'm saying Merle and Daryl are different people. And keep your eyes on the road."

Carol could sense the mood of a room with ease now.

She knew if she walked in on a couple who'd been rowing because she'd felt the change in the air countless times with Ed. She'd been there when Sophia did something innocent that irritated the man and she knew when she had to get her child out of the way and find a way to blame herself.

She felt the air of a brewing storm as she took Daryl food and water.  
He watched her slyly from the edge of his vision, never moving his head to look at her properly and she felt on edge with him for the first time. Even after she lost Sophia and he blew up at her for the first time, hurting her with his cruel words she never felt like she did now because he was in pain then, hurting in a way he didn't understand. She often thought it might have been the first time he'd cared for someone who wasn't family, so she'd forgiven that outburst.

"I bought some soup for you. Need to make sure you eat something," She said, putting the tray down on the chair Hershel had used earlier.

"You can take it away, I'm not hungry," he said, tone cold.

She wasn't used to such a harsh way of him speaking to her but pushed aside her feelings, knowing that he hadn't been happy with whatever happened between him and Rick outside.

"You really need to eat. I'll leave it with you," she said again hoping her persistence might pay off.

He ignored her this time, not making a move to touch anything she'd left.

"Is there anything you want me to get you?"

"I'm not an invalid ya know. Can get whatever I want. Why don't you jus' get the hell out of here and go bother someone else? Or is it that no one else wants to talk to you? Ran out of friends already? You lose the only family you had and the old man's dead so you can't bother him... let me guess, Lori's busy with Rick or Carl because she still has a child and husband to take care of. Am I right?"

Carol blinked back tears that formed and grabbed the tray from the chair, leaving the room without another word.

It felt nice to do something together as a family, even if it was just prepare a meal.

For the first time in a long time, Lori felt content to be where they were. Husband by her side, son healthy and well. The prison had been a blessing to them all and she was grateful they'd found it.

She wasn't aware her bliss had been interrupted. Carol so silently crept into the room, it wasn't until the tray clattered onto the work surface that she even realised she was there. The tray of food she'd taken Daryl had returned untouched, telling them what they needed to know.

"What's happened?" Rick asked, fearing the worst. "Has he... turned?"

Carol shook her head and attempted to find her voice. "He's fine..." she managed to get out before she clasped her hands over her mouth and started to cry, almost uncontrollably. Lori steered Carl to his Father as she made her way towards the sobbing woman and put her arms around her, rubbing her hand over her back in a soothing motion, trying to calm her and find out what had happened.

Rick and Carl left the women alone and headed away from the kitchen. He grabbed the discarded bowl of food Carol had left and took some water and a dish with him. Rick knew he needed to go and make sure Daryl was okay, concerned that maybe he had started to become feverish or something, so dropped Carl in with Hershel while he went to check Daryl.

He knew Daryl wouldn't want to talk to him, especially if he'd snubbed Carol but he needed a reason to go in there. The door to Daryl's room was pulled closed and he pushed it open.

"Daryl, it's Rick. I know I'm probably the last person you wanna talk to right now and that's okay, I'm not here to talk. I figured that you probably don't feel like joining us for dinner later but I know you don't want Bella to miss out so I bought some food and water for her. I know we said she'd with us but well, I don't think she wants to be away from you right now."  
Rick placed the food on the floor and poured water out for the dog. He left the rest of the water on the chair, hoping that Daryl might at least drink something even if he didn't want to eat right now.

"Well that's it. Let us know if you need anything. We'll leave you in peace, okay?"  
He didn't expect an answer and he wasn't disappointed when he didn't get one.

He simply returned to Hershel and Carl and thought about what to do next.

Glenn and T Dog's search of the local houses had been pretty much a wash out. The houses there had been left abandoned long before the walkers came about and it seemed they were destined to be knocked down at some point.  
They had no choice to return to the prison empty handed. Glenn was keen to get back and study the map again. The route they'd taken today was the same as what they'd cover tomorrow at least partially and they'd encountered a large number of abandoned vehicles on one of the roads, slowing them down. If it hadn't been for that, he was certain they could have made it to the larger town today as well.

He wondered to himself whether T Dog really wanted to be here.  
It seemed he felt he owed a debt to Daryl, and while he was keen to pay off that debt, he didn't seem to be grateful about it at all. Was it just because of Merle's abuse that T Dog had such a problem with Daryl? It seemed a little harsh, but Glenn tried not to let it play on his mind too much. He didn't mind Daryl's teasing so much. Glenn had older friends that might joke the same way. Okay, maybe not quite the same, but he never felt Daryl was viciously attacking him when he made the comments he did.

The others were pleased to see them get back safely, but disappointed with the lack of supplies. Hershel looked especially concerned but told Rick he'd give Daryl some more of the painkillers they had, hoping to help in a small way.

Maggie looked equally upset to learn they'd have to go out again. It wasn't ideal, but Glenn already laid out the idea of leaving as soon as it was light out to give themselves as much time as possible to get there and back. T Dog didn't have much to say about it, and Rick asked him if he was okay to go, but he nodded his head, willing to go through with the plan still.

Maggie promised to help Glenn go over the map and figure out routes and an alternative route as well, just in case.

There was nothing else left to do but eat and get some rest and try again in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

Daryl had made a decision.

He wasn't going to hide out in this cell all day like there was something wrong with him. He knew it was just a damn dog bite. He didn't feel any different, infected or anything. He didn't feel great either but he'd still been bitten by a dog too. He didn't know where the dog had been before, what kind of germs it had picked up.

He was certain he was going to be fine so he'd face the others. Show them that he had nothing to hide. He looked down at his hand, the bandage round his bitten hand. He pulled the bandage off to look at the wound. It looked pretty much the same. The area around the puncture wounds were a little puffy and swollen but it wasn't too bad.

He headed down the halls to the area that they'd set us as there living quarters, a kind of social space for the group.

He could hear their voices floating down towards him but on his arrival into the room, the voices stopped. No one seemed to be able to think enough to say anything for a few seconds and he halted in awkwardness and a flush of embarrasment before he carried on into the room.

"Did you want some breakfast?" Lori offered as she moved towards the left over food.

"I can get it myself," He replied automatically before realising his harsh tone wasn't helping the atmosphere and adding a mumbled "Thanks," to the end of it.

The others seemed to take this as a sign that all was well in their group and carried on with small talk.

Daryl took as much time as he could to prepare himself some food and then went and sat down, grateful that some of them had left by now.

Rick still sat there even though his food had gone by now but this didn't surprise Daryl. He knew he'd want to be so he could make his own assessment of how Daryl was this morning. Hershel also still sat there while his daughters were busying themselves with dishes. They kept the talk brief and light and when the girl finished and left, Hershel took the opportunity to ask Daryl about his bite. He of course was able to see it, Daryl having removed the bandage he'd placed on before, so Daryl let him check it over. It was hard to tell what his prognosis was as he just nodded his head and made a noise like he was agreeing with himself.

"So?" Daryl asked once he was done.

"It's too early to tell yet," Hershel said.

"Those antibiotics must be duds," Daryl commented, noting a slight look between Rick and Hershel at the comment. Others might have missed it, but Daryl missed very little. There was something they weren't telling him, he knew that much.

"How's the dog?" Rick asked.

"Going stir crazy being inside all the time. Like me," Daryl said.

"You could take her into the exercise yard, let her get a bit of a run around," Hershel suggested.

Daryl just looked at the man, not really impressed by that idea. It sounded pretty dumb to him. She liked to roam about, however he didn't want her to get bitten again.

"I should wrap that up, just to keep the wound clean," Hershel said, regarding Daryl's hand again.

"Later," Daryl said, getting up leaving the pair, something about the way they were acting making him unsettled. He'd rather be on his own than with them right now.

* * *

"Okay, we should be coming up to it just round this corner."

T Dog turned the corner and they were greeted by a small town, nowhere near as vast as Glenn had imagined. He felt slightly disappointed, knowing that this place needed to have some supplies, or Daryl was going to be in serious trouble.

"Oh boy, this place looks like it might be a wash out," T Dog commented and Glenn couldn't help but agree.

They kept driving up the road past the shops that seemed to be useless to them. A bank, a barbers shop. It seemed that nothing here was going to be any good.

"Hey, what's that?" T Dog pointed ahead to the side of a building just out of sight. He drove up towards it to find a large store, like a Wall-Mart type of store. They stopped just in front of the entrance to see it had been rammed by something and clearly looted. "I'd say this is our best shot, ya think?"

Glenn nodded. "Yeah, but we're gonna have to cover each others backs though. It might be tough."

"Well we ain't got any other choice but to go in. So, lets get to it. Sooner we get in, the sooner we can get back."

* * *

Daryl had spent some time with Bella in the old exercise yard but while he was there with her, he couldn't help feeling like he was being watched.

There were plenty of windows around the exercise yard where he could be watched, just like the prisoners that once filled the prison. He was feeling more like a prisoner here and the others were the wardens.

He'd been thinking about Merle while he sat in the exercise yard. Wondering where he was right now. If he was even alive still. He wished his brother had cared enough to come back for him, but nothing had changed there, Merle always took care of himself first, Daryl had always been an after thought. Story of his whole damn life.

The group hadn't picked him to join them, they'd got lumbered with him. He wasn't wanted there, he wasn't wanted anywhere. But that didn't really bother him. He was used to it. He also knew that he didn't need a group to survive. He'd learnt to trust no one and survive alone. But that was fine.

He had all he needed right there. He could survive without anyone else. That was when the thought first occurred to him. He could get Bella and just go. Right now.

The others probably wouldn't even notice if he slipped off at night.

"She seems to like it enough out here," Rick said.

Daryl hadn't heard him approach and shot the man a dark look, Rick's appearance feeding his thoughts that he was being kept an eye on the whole time. "Whattya want?"

"Just came to..."

"What, check on me?"

"Well, just making sure you're okay," Rick admitted.

"'m fine, don't need you watching over me," Daryl said back, clearly frustrated.

Rick noticed Daryl's crossbow at his feet. "You know you're probably safe to come out here without bringing your crossbow," Rick tried.

"I'd rather die than leave it behind."

"You know you're safe here with us."

Daryl scoffed at the comment. "No I'm not, ya'll think I'm infected."

Rick sighed. "Don't stay out here too long will you?" With that he headed back inside.

* * *

Hershel was waiting for Rick.

"How is he doing?"

Rick shook his head. "I don't know, he's not exactly easy to talk to."

"Just keep doing what you're doing. It's all we can do."

* * *

Once T Dog and Glenn had located the health section of the store, getting supplies had been fairly easy.

The store had been looted before but it was vast and there was plenty to choose from here. They both filled up backpacks with various medical supplies and then grabbed more bags from the store and took various other pieces with them, mostly clothing and blankets for the prison.

They talked about coming back with Lori and Rick to get items for the baby, they'd certainly need them when the time came.

Once they finished they checked the rest of the building out, seeing what else they might find useful.

"I say we come back sooner rather than later, in case anyone else stumbles upon this place." T Dog said.

"Yeah, well lets get back to the prison and get Daryl sorted out. Then we can go shopping."

* * *

Daryl stayed outside for a long time. Even Bella wanted to get inside before he did, so he'd let her in and stayed outside himself.

He liked that there was a cool breeze blowing and the prison environment was just depressing, but eventually, he followed the dog and went inside himself. He heard one of the women mention food to him, but he ignored it and carried on back to his room.

He didn't feel great. He's realised it outside some point after Rick had left. He felt sick. Hot. Maybe it was the start of infection. He tried to remember what Jim was like, but he'd not seen much of the man when he'd been infected, couldn't compare it.

He dozed, woke up hot and sweating sometime later, throat dry and when he sat up, his head spun.

Someone must have been to his room while he slept as there was a glass of water and some crackers left out for him. He drank the water, the whole glass gone in seconds before he lay back down and closed his eyes, sleep washing over him again.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks to **Tans**y for making me re-consider my direction with this chapter. :)

Rick knew they had to start making decisions.

He'd watched Daryl when he was outside. Talking to him had been near impossible and he'd watched him as he sat there before he came inside. He looked like shit and had barely acknowledged any of the others.

They'd left him alone but after a couple of hours, Rick went and took some crackers and water for him, knowing Daryl hadn't eaten much that day. He went back an hour later and filled the water which Daryl had drunk. He was sleeping again, his complexion pale, sweating but shivering gently. He'd grabbed some spare blankets and tried to keep Daryl warm before he left him again.

He was worried now. It had been a niggling fear before but he couldn't help thinking back to Jim's own infection. He'd compare it in his mind and then try and reason how this was different.

* * *

He startled awake and he wasn't sure what woke him. He could hear voices somewhere and he struggled to his feet and headed out of the room, stumbling along towards the distant voices.

He passed by the room unnoticed, the people inside caught up in their conversation, not noticing him at all. He passed by but waited on the other side of the wall, unseen and listening to them.

"...what are we going to do. I mean, he'll turn," Lori, he guessed.

"I'll deal with it when the time comes," Of course that was Rick.

"And then what, do we stay here?"

"Of course, it's safe here."

"Dad? Are we gonna bury Daryl?"

What the fuck? He wasn't even dead and they were preparing what to do with his body. He walked away from the door and the conversation. He didn't really think where he was going, just walked away. He ended up heading towards the front of the prison and only stopped when Hershel's young daughter stepped out in front of him. He couldn't remember her damn name and the only one that came to mind was Amy. He knew that wasn't right.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Takin' the dog out, wha's it look like?" Daryl said, pointing down to the ground next to him. Of course, Bella wasn't there and he looked around for the dog. He whistled, called her name and the dog came after him. "See?"

"You haven't even got your bow with you?" She pointed out, knowing that no one was supposed to go out unarmed.

"I got a knife," he reached across and picked up the gun that they kept at the front for the person on watch. "This'll be better though. Easier."

She frowned at him but couldn't really stop him leaving. He scared the hell out of her for starters. "Don't go far."

* * *

Lori, Rick and Carl had decided some time together would be good for them. Just acting as a family. However, they still veered violently from normal family conversations.

"If Daryl's infected what are we going to do. I mean, he'll turn," Lori, he guessed.

"I'll deal with it when the time comes," Of course that was Rick.

"And then what, do we stay here?"

"Of course, it's safe here."

"Dad? Are we gonna bury Daryl?"

"Hopefully he'll be okay and that won't be an issue, but if that happens then of course we will."

"I hope he's okay. I want Daryl to teach me to hunt. "

Rick couldn't help smile at that. Typical Carl. "I gotta be honest, I was hoping he might teach all of us a few of his survival skills. We could all use some more knowledge like he has."

"I think it would take more than a few lessons before you were bringing in a buck," Lori said, amused at them.

"Probably. Not like I expect to ever be as skilled as Daryl, but even if we all just learnt one skill from him, it'd help the whole group out," Rick explained.

"Heh, you won't get me complaining. Fresh meat would be welcome."

"Hey, where's Bella going?" Carl asked, hearing the dogs claws as they hit the concrete.

"Maybe she wants letting out," Lori said. "Don't worry about it, there's plenty of people out there to see to her," Lori said.

Rick stood up. "Best go check on Daryl."

It was a short walk between any of the rooms that they had inhabited. They'd purposely stayed close to one another for safety, but Daryl had done his best to give himself some space. Picked a room a little further away than the others.  
When Rick reached the room, he was surprised to see the bed empty. Daryl's crossbow stayed where he'd left it, propped against the wall in the corner of the room.  
Rick relaxed slightly, guessing Daryl was just wandering around the prison somewhere, knowing he didn't like to go outside without it. He recalled Daryl having it with him in the exercise yard the day before which was enough to prove he hated leaving it behind. Rick made his way back down the halls, checking all of the areas the group frequented. Kitchen, the makeshift dining and living areas. he came across Maggie and asked her if she'd seen Daryl but she shook her head, seemingly distracted. Rick guessed she was worried about Glenn. Unable to find Daryl, he headed towards the exercise yard, seeing it empty as well.

Rick headed towards the front of the prison.

* * *

Daryl sat beneath on of the trees.

It was nice out here. Cooling breeze felt nice on his burning skin.

His mind flashed back to Jim. he met his maker the same way. Sat beneath a tree to die alone. He wondered if he was still wandering around somewhere. He was absently stroking Bella's head as he thought about it.

This was the right thing to do. If he stayed in there and turned, he put everyone at risk. He also knew that Rick would be the one who'd have to put him down and the guy clearly found it hard. It wore heavy on him. He'd struggled to do it for Dale and he knew that it had been hard for him to kill Shane, but he'd done it.

They might think him a coward, taking the easy way out but it was the right think to do. He checked the gun and found one bullet. He knew they were short on ammo, so he'd figured things out already. He'd cut Bella's throat and put a bullet through his own head. Problem sorted.

He wondered how long it would take them to realise he was missing, or when they'd find his body.

Wondered what would be left of it when they found him, beneath this tree.

He looked at Bella. Her trusting eyes on him made his gut twist at what he was going to do. It would be for the best, he knew that. He'd have to do it quickly and deep, make sure he killed her in one move, wouldn't want her to suffer. Snapping her neck would be better but he she was a large dog and he wasn't sure he head the strength to do it.

He wasn't sure he had the strength to do much of anything. "C'mere girl." He said, the dog tilted her head quizzically at him as he moved closer, knife in one hand as he sat beside her, stroking her gently with the other. "This won't hurt a bit."

* * *

"Have you seen Daryl?" Rick asked.

"He went out a little while ago."

"Damn, why didn't you come and get me?" Rick demanded.

"I-I didn't think it..."

Rick didn't have time for this, he opened the door and looked for Daryl.

There was no sign of him.

The grass was overgrown and unless the man was standing, Rick had no idea where he was. "Daryl!" He yelled at the top of his voice, not caring if he drew every walker nearby to them, because if he was right, Daryl wasn't planning on coming back.

"What's going on?" Maggie asked coming up beside Rick.

"Daryl's out here somewhere. I need to find him now,"

Maggie scanned the area carefully. "Over by the trees, looks like someone walked through the grass recently."

Rick didn't wait for anything else, he started in that direction at a dead run.

He hadn't got far when he heard a dog yelp.

* * *

Bella hung limply in his arms, her blood covering his hands and puddling into his lap.

He couldn't help it as the bile rose up his throat and he spat out the meagre contents of his stomach. he'd seen worse, but somehow, having the warm sticky blood of this dog penetrating through the layer of his trousers and soak the skin underneath just did it for him. He wiped the sweat from his face into his arm, trying to avoid using his hands. He moved the dogs head off of his lap.

One down...

He took the run out from where he'd stuck it into the waistband of his trousers.

"Daryl!" Rick's voice yelled from somewhere. he sounded panicked and Daryl wondered for a moment what might have happened before he twigged onto the fact that he probably knew Daryl was out here.

Rick came into view and almost stopped in his tracks as he took in the sight before him. Blood seemed to be covering Daryl and he couldn't tell if the man was injured himself or not. Bella was clearly dead and he noticed the gun in Daryl's hand.

Struggling to catch his breath, Rick held a hand out to Daryl, hoping to somehow placate the man. "Don't do anything stupid, Daryl."

"It's not stupid. Saving you a job."

Rick slowly lowered himself in front of Daryl. "Listen, you don't need to do this. We still don't know..."

"You wanna be the one to shoot me in the head when I bite your kids face off?"

Rick struggled at the image, Daryl's current bloodied state wasn't helping. "This isn't the answer, Daryl. Whatever has to be done. I'll have someone with you all the time, we'll lock you in your room if that'll help. This isn't a solution, okay?"

Daryl seemed to think it over. "I killed her," he muttered, looking at the dog by his side.

"It's okay," Rick soothed. "Lets just get back inside." He hadn't missed the fact that Daryl was shaking gently although his skin glistened with the sheen of sweat that coated it. However, try as he might, he couldn't seem to get Daryl to get up and come to the prison with him. He tried to convince him he needed to rest, that he'd get sicker if he stayed outside, even just tried common sense and that he should be inside but nothing motivated Daryl to get up. He stayed where he was in a pile of dogs blood.

Rick sighed, unsure of himself.

"Alright then," he eventually said and sat down as well, not too close to Daryl, wanting to give him his space, but close enough. "But if we're waiting out here, I'm having the gun," he said and rather than reach for it, he held out his hand. He wanted Daryl to hand it over, didn't want to take it from him.

Daryl's blood covered hand carefully placed the gun in Rick's hand.

* * *

Hershel made his way across the field to where Maggie had pointed him.

The sun was setting and there was a chill in the air. The practical side of him was furious that Rick was out here with a sick man and not dragging him back to rest inside, but another part of him wondered what exactly they were doing out here.

When they hadn't come back, Maggie had checked to see what was happening. Rick waved her off, telling her they were fine and not to worry. Hershel had taken charge while Rick was preoccupied, told them to sort out dinner and otherwise busy themselves because when Daryl came back, he wouldn't want to have them all watching him.

Well, he'd decided enough was enough. He needed to get Daryl inside. Maggie had warned him about the blood, she's seen the dead dog and told him, and so seeing Daryl pretty much covered from the waist down in blood wasn't a shock like it might have been.

"It's getting late, you boys need to get inside now," he said, his voice authoritative, like he was speaking to children.

Rick nodded and stood up, his legs a little stiff from the lack of movement. Daryl still made no attempt to move and after sharing a brief look with Hershel, Rick moved to one side of him, and Hershel the other and hauled the man to his feet. He made some varied attempts to help as the made their way back to the prison but his legs didn't seem to want to work and he let the pair drag him and didn't attempt to try again until the got closer to the prison. They slowed when they got close, allowing Daryl to retain his dignity and walk inside.

The place was surprisingly quiet, Rick had visions of the other waiting there for them and was grateful for their absence. Not long after they got inside, Daryl dropped to a dead weight in their arms and both men had to hold on tight and readjust their grips to stop him falling to the ground.

"Damn," Hershel muttered, noting Daryl's unconscious form. "Need to get him cleaned up when we get him to his room and nothing but bed rest after this."

Rick nodded, not arguing with the man.

* * *

Rick had helped Hershel strip Daryl bloodied clothes off and left the other man to clean him up at Hershel's request.

They both knew that Daryl wouldn't be best pleased if he woke up any time soon, but having just one person there might help. Hershel sent Rick to get some food and told him to bring Daryl something after he'd finished, a soup or broth, something simple.

The group ate together and Maggie reminded them that T Dog and Glenn weren't back. Another problem to sort out. They all knew that the plan was for them to get back the same day and as they knew the medical supplies were urgently needed, they knew they wouldn't have stayed the night if they didn't have to.

"We need to send a search party out first thing," Maggie declared.

"Lets not be hasty," Rick said.

"They've been gone for hours, Rick. We can't just wait. If they need help they might need it now."

"If it was too late for them to travel then they'd hold off until morning."

"That's not good enough," Maggie stated.

Rick sighed. "The way things are, we can't afford to send people out to look for them when we knew they might be this long. Let's say we go out tomorrow, who does that leave here? Your dad and sister, my wife and son, Carol. It's leaving this place too weak, too vulnerable."

"So you're just happy to leave them out there?"

"If there not back by midday, we head out. Just promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"Fine," Maggie said, still not happy but willing to settle for now.

Rick stood up. "Where are you going?" Lori asked.

"I need to take Daryl some food up,"

"I can do that," Lori insisted.

"Thanks," Rick said, cutting the space between them. "It needs to be me though. Just in case." And she knew what he meant.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Huge thanks to Tansy who provided some great insight with this part and helped point out some of my sloppy slip ups throughout the story. You're wonderful. :)  
Warning: This chapter is a little bit more descriptive in regards to Daryl's wound. Probably don't eat and read it (especially soup)

* * *

5.

The night was peaceful.

Lori had suggested that Rick move the chair by the doorway as there'd be no way Daryl could pass him and that he could doze if he needed to.

It had been a good idea as Daryl had slept throughout the night which gave Rick a chance to rest too.

Rick wet the wash cloth that was by Daryl's bed and ran it over the man's sweaty face. He barely stirred throughout and Rick figured they might not get much from him today.

Rick let Hershel take over while he had breakfast and spent a little time with Carl and Lori but soon took back over again. Hershel has assured him that he could stay with Daryl for longer so that Rick could have more of a break but Rick insisted on staying.

Before Hershel left, he said he'd change Daryl's bandaged hand. He hadn't been around when Hershel had done it before and was surprised by how angry the wound looked. He'd not seen the wound since Daryl had first been bitten and seeing it now reminded him how badly they needed antibiotics.

What surprised him more was the smell. He's noticed a certain smell in the room but had just put it down to the fact that Daryl wasn't the most hygienic of the group and he'd been stuck in bed the last several hours, sweating underneath a pile of blankets. Now that Hershel had unwrapped the wound, he could smell the stench coming from Daryl's wound and felt sick to his stomach. He moved away to the doorway, hoping distance would help but it seemed the smell travelled with him.  
Hershel took some time cleaning up the wound, clearing away the pus that had accumulated underneath the gauze. He gently pressed around the deep punctures wounds and scratches allowing the pus that was built up to escape.

Rick had to turn away. He'd never figured himself very squeamish but he might have to reconsider that. He recalled when he and Daryl had been searching the woods for Sophia and they'd gutted the walker how he'd felt just as nauseas then and how when they group found the tent in the woods with the man who's checked out, only Daryl could stomach going in there. He vaguely wondered what could get a man so used to such smells. However, his eyes feel upon Hershel and he seemed to be coping just as well, barely seeming to notice. Maybe it was being on a farm that helped him. Rick couldn't think of many people that would be used to bad smells more than farmers.

It appeared Hershel was done cleaning up the wound as he began to wrap it with fresh bandages. "I'll have to start changing his dressing more often." Rick nodded as Hershel gathered the rest of the gauze and bandages and left them in the corner of the room for later and left Rick to take charge of the sick man.

Hershel reappeared a while later with soup that he made rather bland hoping that Daryl would keep it down. The two men propped Daryl pillows up hoping that it would help him to sit up enough and eat, but the man just slumped back on the pillows, seemingly unable to stay upright. In the end, Rick had climbed on the bed next to Daryl to keep him upright enough and the two men had to almost force-feed him the soup. Rick couldn't help but notice the smell from Daryl's infected wound again being so close to him, and the whole time he assisted Hershel, he hoped he'd be able to get through it without losing the contents of his stomach.  
Hershel had only made a small amount and he insisted that they make sure Daryl had the full bowl. Once they were done, they readjusted the pillows and Rick did his best to get Daryl back into a comfortable position, but the hunter didn't seem to care much as he was back into slumber within minutes.

Rick took the opportunity to ask Hershel how he thought Daryl was doing. He knew it wasn't good, but part of Rick still thought sleep was good for a person, no matter what.

Hershel agreed that while Daryl's rest was certainly better for him that being outside, he was only like this because his body had run out of resources. He had no food to run off, was barely drinking enough water to be properly hydrated and the infection he was fighting was taking up everything else he had.

Rick nodded glumly at the prospects that Daryl was faced with.

Rick appreciated Hershel's honesty though and it was something he'd come to respect most about the man. He didn't try and cover up the truth with anything else, he just said it like it was, even back at the farm. He'd told Rick early on that he expected them to leave as soon as Carl was well. It was the same now. He told Rick exactly what Daryl's chances were and that gave Rick a lot of trust in him. He knew his word was good.

Since leaving the farm, killing Shane, these two men in the room with him had maybe been the most important factor in keeping the group together because he knew deep down no one was looking at him the same way as they once did.

In fact, with Daryl it was before that. Daryl won everyone's respect with his tireless search for Sophia. The only time he stopped was when he was injured and couldn't do it. No one else in the group could say that put that much effort in. He'd sold himself even more so when he stepped up and put Dale out of his pain. No one else had stepped up, not even Shane.  
That act hadn't gone unnoticed by the group in terms of stepping up.  
The night they'd lost Dale, Rick remembered Jim. He remembered how it was Daryl who first suggested they kill Jim. He'd thought the man heartless and cold at the time. Yet after witnessing the dignity he gave Dale in his final moments, that he was probably wrong.  
Daryl had been right back then. Killing Jim would have been the kindest thing to do. Rick just hadn't realised it at the time.

As for Hershel, he had given them a chance. He'd allowed them onto his property. Treated their wounds, given them his time and when disaster struck their group and they were at their lowest, he'd opened his home to them. If Daryl's opinion mattered to the Atlanta survivors, then Hershel was the driving force behind keeping the Greene's with them. Maggie had been unsure of following Rick after the farm but Hershel's quiet yet strong resolve for them to keep following the man had been important, just as Daryl's refusal to believe that Rick was anything less than honourable.

Those opinions mattered and maybe he'd be here alone without these men having backed him up at a time when even his own wife had recoiled in horror at his actions.

Maybe that was the difference. Maybe the lives they lived before hadn't readied them for this new way of life. Hershel had had some hardships over his years, as had Daryl. Their life experiences made them stronger, made them more willing to buck the trend, do what they felt was right.  
For Rick, his decisions still came from his morality as a police officer. That was what had always defined him. Right and wrong. It was as simple as that.  
Things weren't like that any more. He'd realised that when they'd been at that bar and he'd shot the men there dead when he'd felt them threaten the groups safety.  
He knew he couldn't carry on like he had started. Things weren't the same and sometimes he'd have to do things that people didn't like.

"Dad! They're back!" Carl shouted at the door, face excited.

"Thank God," Rick said as they headed out towards the others. By the time they got there, T Dog and Glenn were already inside sharing relieved hugs with the others.

"Please tell me you guys have got antibiotics?" Hershel said when he saw the pair.

"We got as much stuff as we could carry in out bags and then more bags," T Dog supplied, tipping out one of the bags as packets of various pills and other medical supplies spilt onto the table where he stood.

Hershel wasted no time picking through the medication until he found the stronger stuff.

"Why were you so long?" Maggie asked.

"Long story," Glenn said.

"Nobody hurt?" Rick asked as he grabbed some antiseptic, gauze and a bandage from the pile.

"We're both fine," T Dog said, watching Rick hurriedly grab the supplies. "How's Daryl?"

"He's... not so good." Rick said, heading after Hershel.

When Rick got to Daryl's room, Hershel was popping a couple of pills from the blister packet. Rick piled the fresh bandages with the others Hershel had left earlier and went over to help.

"This is going to be a bit more tricky than soup. We need him awake otherwise he'll just choke on them," Hershel directed.

Rick nodded and propped Daryl up as he had done before, this time using himself rather the the pillows to lean his against. He slapped Daryl round the face gently a few times, rousing the man somewhat.

"Daryl? Listen to me, you gotta take these pills okay? They'll make you better," Rick said.

Daryl's head lolled around a little, and Rick gently took hold of Daryl's chin jaw, the palm of his hand gently touching Daryl's throat. It helped steady him and allowed Hershel to place one of the pills in Daryl's mouth and bring the glass to his lips. Daryl took a sip and Rick felt him swallow.

"One more," Hershel said, repeating the process. This time Daryl dribbled out some of the water ad it ran down his throat until it reached Rick's hand that still held him firm and for a moment, it seemed like he might spit out the second pill and the water but he managed to swallow the second pill too.

As soon as he was done, Rick reached for the wash cloth and cooled Daryl down with it, using it to discreetly clear away the water Daryl had spilt on himself as he noticed that both T Dog and Glenn had arrived to see the man. Rick lowered him back down to the bed, pulled the covers right back up and stepped back to the doorway with the others.

"Man, he looks awful," Glenn said, solemnly.

"He gonna be okay?" T Dog added.

"Hopefully he will be now," Hershel said, making his way past the men and leaving them in peace.

"Yeah, you guys were great. If he can be saved, you've just done it," Rick said. "Head back down with the others, I'll be down in a bit, I'm gonna lock Daryl in."

"Lock him in?" T Dog asked slightly confused.

"I promised him if we weren't watching over him, we'd lock him in. Just in case."

* * *

Rick finally felt a sense rest.

He was certainly still concerned about Daryl, but they'd done all they could for him right now.

T Dog and Glenn filled them in on the place they'd found. They ran down all the types of gear that was there and Rick and Lori's eyes lit at the fact that they could get things for the baby.

"So why were you so long?" Maggie asked again.

"We had to hang low. A bunch of looters came by," T Dog said.

"Looters?" Lori repeated. "What did you do?"

"Luckily we were near the warehouse. We slipped into the back and hid in this storage area where they kept the shelves and stuff. When we were sure they were gone we realised it was too late to come back so spent the night."

"Yeah, we left as soon as it got light." Glenn added.

"I'm just glad your safe," Maggie said.

"We all are." Carol added.

* * *

The next few days became a little more routine.

Rick and Hershel stayed watching over Daryl. Hershel kept changing the bandage often and after a few days when the antibiotics had a chance to help, the wound started to look better. The smell lingered in the room though, ventilation in the prison unsurprisingly poor and they made the decision to move Daryl into a different room now that the wound was healing. Rick was certain there was still a faint smell of dog in that room as well and Daryl was better off away from it. They moved the few possessions Daryl had first before T Dog helped Rick to move him.

As a testament to Daryl's healing, he woke mid-move and cursed them all loudly and repeatedly for what they were doing to him. He soon settled back down again once they had him back on a bed and quickly drifted back off to sleep.

The rest of the group took turns on watch, or part of the cooking and cleaning duty. They also prepared the cars to travel out again. Rick had decided that with the looters T Dog and Glenn had encountered, it was best to go as a strong group. They couldn't be that while they had a sick man that needed someone with him, so Rick said they'd wait until Daryl was on his feet and was able to guard the prison. A group of them would go, whoever felt they needed to, while some of the others remained behind. Glenn had already said he'd stay. He didn't feel there was anything there he needed and as Rick and T Dog had already mentioned they were keen to go, he felt Daryl should have some back up here.

Things were starting to get back on track.


	6. Chapter 6

**Note:** Thanks for you patience with this late chapter. I got a review saying they wanted more angst and I've been working on that for a few days, trying to think about what else I could do (I had no other plans but to wrap the story up) so that's why there was such a delay with this chapter. I hope it's worth the wait and thanks for all the reviews you've sent so far.  
Oh, and of course now the Season 3 trailer is out I realise my prison is nothing like the shows prison but that matters very little.

* * *

6.

He felt like crap.

He felt beyond crap. But he was determined he wasn't going to spend another damn minute in bed. Daryl sat up and fumbled around for his boots in the dark. When he found them he went to the door and found some gentle light from the far side of the prison.

He made his way towards it veering off away from it when he realised it was the light coming from whoever was on watch. he headed towards the kitchen, stomach growling for something to eat.

Daryl must have been noisier than he thought because as he stumbled about in the darkness, a light from behind him started to illuminate the room.

He turned to see Glenn stood there, lantern burning in his hand.

"You're up," he stated, obviously. "How'd you feel?"

"Hungry," Daryl growled out. He turned back towards the cupboards searching for something to eat, partially turning because even though the light was dim, it seemed bright to his eyes right now.

After opening a few cupboard doors and shutting them he dropped his arms empty handed.

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't know. Something instant. Everythin's tinned."

"There was some stale biscuits and crackers. They were... bad. We had to throw them out."

Daryl turned back towards Glenn, wondering what to do. He squinted still against the lantern and Glenn seemed to realise this and took it back through to the room before, making the room they were in dimmer.

To Glenn's untrained eye, he still thought Daryl seemed a little off. He wasn't worried about him becoming a walker as he was clearly a lot better than he had been but he wasn't sure he should be walking around just yet. "Maybe you should er... get some more rest."

Daryl frowned at that. "Been laying in that damn bed too long. 'm sick of it. Why don't you jus' get back on watch," Daryl suggested.

"Sure," Glenn nodded and headed back away from him. He saw Daryl leave the kitchen and head off to one of the other rooms, their makeshift living area.

Glenn returned to watch but kept an ear out for Daryl. He couldn't hear the man stumbling about or knocking anything over and he risked taking a glance in the room Daryl had gone into. He'd left the lantern behind seeing as how it had bothered Daryl and he could only just make out his form on one of the couches. Content that Daryl was at least sitting down, Glenn returned back to his post.

* * *

He opened his eyes and everything was unfocused and bleary.

He blinked a few times, trying to clear away the cobwebs, hearing pieces of chatter around him. He couldn't quite make out what was happening, where he was.

He moved his hand across his face, rubbed his eyes attempting to clear them and opened them again. Although the voices were near him, there's was nobody he could see and he sat up and craned his head round to the next room. It seemed most of the group were in the room, gathered for a meal or something. They chatted casually, seemed relaxed and happy. He frowned at their behaviour.

Lori was the first to notice him but simply alerted Rick to him. When Daryl noticed some of the others gawp at him he turned away from them, seconds later Rick dropped down in front of him, smiling slightly. "How ya feeling?" he asked.

"Fine," Daryl replied a little hostile. He felt eyes upon him and Rick looked behind him shot a dark look to make it clear to the others to back off.

"He was hungry," Glenn said, before leaving Rick to it.

"Ah, well you missed breakfast and dinner but there's some dinner left, we made enough for you," Rick filled in. He wasn't going to force the issue.

Daryl looked a little confused. "I slept through dinner?"

"You're still recovering. Hershel said best to let you rest so we did."

He realised that someone had covered him with a blanket that lay across his legs still. Probably Carol.

Rick hovered by him for a few more moments before standing up. "Well, I'll leave you to it," and with that was gone.

Daryl sat there a while longer, hoping that the feeling that remained with him was just the after effects of sleep, yet he still felt the same. Eventually, when he's stomach growled enough, he pulled the blanket off of himself and pushed up carefully. His vision swam momentarily, but he he stayed still until he got his bearings back and made his way into the room Rick had departed into moments ago.

He got the feeling Rick had maybe had words with the others as no one barely acknowledged his entrance. Glenn looked his way and smiled nervously and Carol was watching him but he avoided looking her way. She'd just look worried and want to nurse him the way she did with everyone.

Daryl made his way through to the kitchen and found some food sat in a pot and helped himself to a plateful. He ate it in the kitchen, not feeling like walking all the way back through to the others and having them either awkwardly avoid looking at the freak show or worse, try and make conversation with him while he tried to eat. He finished off the plate of food, feels a little too full but he knows he needs to get his strength back and then he can get back to normal, hates all this messing around and having to be careful and he'd have stopped caring and been out there by now if he could, but he'd likely have to endure one of these guys tagging along and he just didn't want to have to deal with that.

He wandered along back towards his room, stopped at the old room which they'd moved him from and realised why they'd moved him. He left and kept going to his new room. His stuff had been moved and they'd done as good a job as he had setting the room up, a bag chucked in a corner and the crossbow propped close to the bed.

He hated having nothing to do but the food in his stomach seemed to roll about uncomfortably and he guessed giving it time to digest properly might help with that so he crashed on the bed for a while, grabbing the book Andrea had given him back at the farm. He'd not read it back then and he didn't really want to read it now, but he might read a couple of pages before it bored him. It was at least something to do.

* * *

He was aware of a voice talking floating into his mind before he really knew what was going on.

Hershel's face came into focus as the older man waited for him to come round fully. Daryl noticed he held some bandages in his hand and realised he was waiting to change the dressing on Daryl's bite. He rubbed a hand across his face tiredly, wiping away sweat, before sitting up and letting Hershel's tend to the wound.

They went through the process in almost silence, Daryl's mind too numb with sleep to do anything else, while Hershel concentrated on the task. Once he completed that, he handed Daryl the antibiotics and watched as he took them. Daryl expected him to leave once he'd swallowed them but he remained sat beside him, frowning slightly. "How are you feeling?"

Daryl was a little suspicious of the man for some reason. Did he think something was wrong? Was the idea that he could still be infected from the dog bite still lingering with the group. He'd done his best today to be normal, to show them he was getting better yet it hadn't eased their fears it seemed and he wasn't really sure he believed it either. Yet there was something so easy about Hershel, something that made it easy to trust him. He had that good bedside manner of a doctor yet he never spoke to Daryl like a child, never coddled him like some people might. And because of that he felt he owed him honesty.

"I kinda feel the same," he confessed. Even admitting it to himself felt like something he should have done sooner.

Hershel nodded. "Could be a secondary infection. With the length we waited before we were able to give you any antibiotics, it might have complicated things."

Daryl simply nodded. "I'm sure there are some medical books here, I'll have a look through them, see if anything pops out at me. I think you should just keep resting, keep taking the antibiotics. Let us worry about the rest."

Hershel noted the odd look that Daryl gave him. He'd seen him do it every now and again when people seemed to openly care about him. He ignored the look and left the man to rest.

He tried to rationalise the fear in him, because he already had a suspicion that Daryl wasn't getting better and that it might be something more serious developing. As soon as he'd touched the man to change the bandage, he'd felt the hotness of his skin, a fever burning. He'd have to come back with a thermometer and see how high his temperature was.

But he had a bad feeling in his gut and they weren't usually wrong.

And the word that was running round in his mind, over and over again.

Meningitis.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for the delay in the chapter. I really struggled for a while with this and I so love the story I want to make sure I only update when I had something good to tell in the story. So thank you all for your reviews and for keeping the story alive. I hope you like this new chapter, which I offer up as a sacrifice to keep you all happy. :)

* * *

"Meningitus? That's really serious."

Glenn said as Hershel addressed the group about his suspicions on Daryl.

"I don't know for sure. Secondary infections can occur and the time we waited to get him the medicine just might have caused it. I'm not a doctor, I don't have all the answers. I'd like to spend some time checking through some of the medical books here."

"What can we do to help?" Rick offered.

"Not much. I'm not sure what I can do."

Maggie stepped up beside her Father. "I'll help you go through some of them."

"Me too" Beth added.

"How many books have you got, because I'll help too." Glenn offered.

"Well, with you three, that should be plenty. It's just finding the right book, with the right information," Hershel said.

Rick nodded. "Okay, well while you're doing that the rest of us can work out who's on watch between us. Do we need someone with Daryl?"

"I'd say just check in on him every once in a while. Make sure he keeps hydrated, and get him to eat if you can. And keep up with the medication and changing the dressing on his wound."

* * *

He woke up alone.

He could barely remember the last time that had happened, but then again, he could barely remember what happened any time he'd woken up recently. everything seemed to swirl together in a mesh of Hershel and Rick and blood and bandages, pills and water.

He was sick of this routine, sick of those same people in his space, sick of the prison, sick of the room. Sick of being sick. Of having no strength in him to do anything besides from lay in bed and be treated like an invalid.

So he needed to start getting himself out of this. He needed to work up his strength and stop thinking he needed to lay around and rest, stop listening to Hershel and Rick and thinking that they knew what was best for him and how he felt.

And it didn't matter how he felt, not really.  
Just because he still felt like hell didn't mean anything. It never mattered when he was a kid and it meant even less now. To this group of strangers. Why should they care whether or not he was sick or not, no one else ever did.

He dragged himself out of his bed, pulled on a pair of trousers folded up on a chair near his bed and barely noticed the effort it took as his skin was wet with sweat. He'd been left to sleep in a vest and his boxers and he felt no need to change into a fresh top.

He staggered out and down the halls, barely noticing that all the rooms were occupied with the sleeping bodies of the rest of the group.

One of the girls was on watch, he didn't know which one but he could hear her sobbing and he went unnoticed. He had no real direction to head in, but decided the kitchen would be good. He'd remain unnoticed if he went in there and he could always say he was hungry if anyone asked.  
Truth was, if he wanted to build his strength up, maybe he should try and force something down. He was sick of fucking soup all the time. He started opening a few of the cupboard doors.

The first ones he checked seemed to have leftovers from the prison, all industrial sized stuff. He kept opening doors and searching. He found one that had all the medical supplies in it and then finally found one that had the things they'd scavenged over time.

He wasn't to know that they'd decided to keep the smaller packets and tins so that if they ever were forced to leave the prison, they'd have things they could carry. He took out some biscuits and chips, looked at them, the idea of eating something they barely had was tempting but then he looked back at the other cupboard.

Opening it again he looked at the various bottles of pills. He started at them for a moment. There were so many. He stood there a long time, looking at those bottles before he grabbed a cup and started to open the bottles, empting the contents into the cup until all of the containers were empty.

* * *

Hershel rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawning as he went to the kitchen.

Carol smiled at him as she set about making breakfast, Lori helping her. Hershel liked to change Daryl's bandage first thing in the morning and make sure he had the antibiotics as regularly as possible.

Opening the cupboard, he startled at the bottles that rolled out and managed to catch it before it hit the floor. It took him seconds to register that the bottle was empty and when he looked at the others, he realised that they were also empty.

"Lord, no..." he muttered.

"What's wrong?" Carol asked.

"Please, get Maggie, ask her to check on Beth for me," Hershel said and then quickly headed out.

He doubted Beth had been here, she'd seemed a lot better since they'd left the farm but he didn't want to take any chances.

* * *

There had been maybe twenty minutes that morning where things had been peaceful.

Rick had woken slowly, his wife in his arms, already awake and watching him sleep. She looked safe and secure when she was holding him, and he felt something close to peace with her in his arms too.  
Carl had already left for breakfast, Lori told him, and they enjoyed each other in a way they couldn't when Carl was close by.  
And then he talked about Carl needing his own space. He was growing, maturing, faster than they would like, but essential for him to survive in this world and he needed his own space. Lori tensed when he said it and he expected to have to fight for it, but she nodded her agreement. With the baby coming, it had to happen, they needed to have the baby with them then and seemed unfair to Carl to make him share a room with a baby as well as his parents.

Then the peace was broken.

* * *

Daryl's room was empty.

Rick had people off in all directions looking for Daryl, certain they'd find the man slumped somewhere unconscious from overdosing on everything he'd found in that cupboard.

But Daryl wasn't hard to find. He wasn't hiding, he wasn't unconscious, but what he was, from what Rick could tell, was very sick.

Daryl was sat in some old workshop the prison used to teach the prisoners skills, he sat on top of a workbench, legs dangling heavily. He eyed Rick dangerously, the way a cat would watch a dog, never daring to let it out of its sight in case it went to attack.

Rick made himself visibly relax, his tension at Daryl being missing causing yet more stress for him but he hoped Daryl might relax if he showed him he was no threat.

"Daryl, you need to come back to your room, okay? You're still sick, Hershel told you, right?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes at the man. "I know. I know why... all these damn pills, you think I ain't worked it out? Waiting for me to die? Hoping to cut me lose, put a bullet through my brain, huh?"

"You can't really believe that?" Rick asked. But he realised that Daryl wasn't in his right mind and reasoning with him would only get him so far. The man was sick and scared and probably been sitting thinking his theory through for hours now. He'd deal with the most pressing issue first. "What happened to the pills, Daryl?"

For the first time Daryl took his eyes off Rick briefly and looked off to a sink across the room. Rick followed the gaze and headed over to the sink where he saw some powdery remains on some pills on the counter as well as on the bottom on a cup. The sink was still wet.  
Daryl had crushed the lot up and poured it all away.

Rick's heart sank a little because it meant that Daryl was screwed now. Everything was gone, and for the briefest second, he wondered whether it would have been easier if he'd just taken the pills and ended his own misery.

"I..." Rick faltered. For the first time, he didn't know what words to say, how to make Daryl listen any longer. Even if he talked him round, the man was in bad shape, worse since he'd just washed away the only thing that could help him.

And without another word, Rick turned and walked away.

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes: **Thanks for staying with this guys. Let the Daryl angst continue.  
Reviews are loved.

8.

Rick wasn't sure how long he stood there until Lori came and found him.

"Rick? Did you find him?"

Rick nodded and Lori feared the worst. "He's dead..."

"No. It's all gone. All the supplies. There's nothing left..."

"It'll be okay," Lori promised.

"How can you say that? We've had almost a constant need for painkillers and antibiotics since the highway... T Dog and Glenn risked their lives for it and we've got nothing."

Lori reached out for Rick's hand. "That's it. You need to rest."

"I can't."

"Yes you can. I'm not going to let our son see you like this. You'll rest and someone else can make these decision for just one day, okay? One day won't hurt, ."

He let her lead him away.

* * *

Lori had found Hershel and told him where Daryl was, what Rick had told her and then had left it with him, told him he needed to sort things out because Rick needed the break.

Hershel simply nodded.

He found Daryl where Lori had said. He went in and sat on one of the stools at a different work bench to where Daryl sat but made sure he faced Daryl.

"I don't suppose I'm going to convince you to get back to bed now, am I?" Daryl simply looked at Hershel briefly before casting his gaze to the floor. "You realise if I'm right about that secondary infection and you've washed away all the antibiotics that there's nothing we can do for you?"

Daryl shrugged.

"And I won't be able to do anything for your pain. Best we could do would be washcloths, try and numb the pain with some hot water. Maybe there's a hot water bottle around here somewhere, that may help. I haven't seen one, but I've not been looking either."

"I don't want your help, old man." Daryl said.

"I see. That's fine by me, but the thing is, I don't like to see anyone or anything in pain. When I was a boy, my Father hit out at everything and everyone, me included and there's nothing I hate to see more than any man or creature in pain... suffering," Tone softer, he added. "Guess that's why I became a vet."

Daryl's face looked conflicted as he concentrated on his hands, picking at a nail absently. "You look so normal," Daryl muttered, almost to himself.

"Normal?" Hershel repeated and when Daryl looked at him, and held his gaze, he understood what he meant. "I don't feel it. I remember the fear I had when I look into my children's eyes. Sometimes I'd shout at them and I'd see fear in their eyes and I couldn't stand myself when that happened. I certainly don't feel normal. I'm not sure anyone does any more. I suspect most people who have survived this long should feel lucky. That they have either the spirit to survive or the love of people to keep them safe."

Daryl snorted slightly at that. "Well I ain't in that second group."

"Are you sure about that?"

Daryl looked at Hershel again, confusion clear. "You're keeping me sick, I worked it out. All those pills down my throat, ready to leave the baggage behind, I get it."

Hershel shook his head slightly. "You're very wrong about that, but I suppose that matters very little now. If that's what you really think then we have nothing else to give you now, you've made sure of that." Daryl looked away from him and silence fell between them for a few moments. "That second group?"

"Huh?"

"You said you didn't belong in it, 'the love of people to keep them safe'? I don't know what love means to you, it didn't mean a lot to me for a long time. Not until I had the love of my wife and children. I'd say that the love this group feels for one another is about as pure as any I've ever seen. It's not the same type, but you don't see it. How they've worried about you over the last few days, T Dog and Glenn going out to get supplies, they didn't do that because they had to, they did it because they're trying to take care of you. We all are. And you take care of the group just as much."

Hershel didn't know if his words were striking the right chord with Daryl, but he knew he was thinking about it.

"I'll leave you to your own devices, but just so you know, you should probably head back to bed soon. This prison isn't exactly warm and you're not in any state to be about yet. And I only say that because I care."

And with that, Hershel left.

* * *

Maggie, Glenn, Beth and T Dog were studying a map when Hershel came through to the room.

"What's going on?"

"Supply run," Maggie said, looking up at her father. She expected him to argue against going out but he said nothing.

"We thought it would be a good idea to get so things for the Grimes' baby as well," Beth added.

"Yeah, the store we found had plenty in it. Even with the looters that came after we were there, I think we'd still get a good pick of what we need."

"Are you all going?"

"Not me, Daddy," Beth said. "I was gonna help cover some of the shifts on watch."

Hershel nodded. "Sounds like you have everything covered."

"How's Daryl?" Glenn asked before Hershel got a chance to go on his way.

"I'm starting to reconsider the meningitis diagnosis. I'm hoping it's just a spike in the fever he already had that made him seem to worsen for a few days. Of course, if my original guess was right, he stands little chance of pulling through with no antibiotics."

"Well let's hope that your second guess is right then," T Dog said.

* * *

It's dark when Daryl wakes up.

He can't remember going to his room, but he assumes that's where he is. He's definitely on a cot anyway, a cover pulled up over his chest and he kicks at the covers.

He hears someone soothing him, shushing his quietly, placing a cool damp cloth on his head and it feels amazing on his hot fevered skin. His eyes slip closed as he reaches for the top of the cover and pulls them off of his body, desperate to cool off.

He opened his eyes again, saw a flash of Carol's face close by. It was reassuring somewhat. Eyes slipped shut again and before he knew it, the world had gone black again.

* * *

Lori stood at the door and watched as Carol filled the bowl with fresh cool water. She set it down beside the bed and rinsed the wash cloth, then ran it over Daryl's face and neck before laying it across his forehead.

"How's he doing?"

Carol turned towards the other woman and after looking over Daryl one last time, she stood up and moved over to her. "He had a bit of a restless night. He only woke twice but the fevers taking it's toll on him. I can't think of anything else to do to keep him cool."

"Hopefully the other will be back soon," Lori said. "Rick said he'll come by and take over for a while. Let you have some sleep."

Carol nodded, her attention back on the sleeping man.

Lori touched Carol's arm. "He'll be okay. The others will get back with supplies soon and he'll be just fine."

Carol smiled at Lori's kindness, but as she gazed at Daryl all she could think of was all the kind things people said when Sophia was missing. Daryl himself was certain they'd find her safe and well. That hadn't turned out so well.  
She'd decided then that she'd never let herself be that hopeful again. Even if it did go against everything she'd believed in.


	9. Chapter 9

**Note:** A short chapter. I'm trying to wrap this story up, especially seeing how different mine is from Season 3!

9.

Rick had eaten breakfast before taking over from Carol.

He felt a little refreshed having been able to take a step back from this particular problem even just for a little while though it had still played heavily on his mind.

Carol had told him how Daryl had been through the night and he seemed to be resting well now and that was something. In fact, Hershel had said that it was all he wanted to see Daryl do. The more rest he got, the more chance his body had to fight off this sickness.

Rick stayed with him until Hershel took over just after lunchtime and the only time Daryl seemed to show any awareness was when he woke up very briefly, threw up something vile smelling, most of it going on the blanket covering him, before he fell back into sleep.  
Rick had called for Carl, asking his son to get Daryl some fresh blankets which he'd rushed to do. When Carl returned, he quickly changed them over, wiped Daryl down with the wash cloth and then sat on the chair beside the bed.

And despite himself, he started to think about where they'd bury Daryl.

* * *

"Hey," Lori said as she walked up besides Rick, placing a bucket of water on the ground.

In her arms she carried some hand towels. Rick looked up to her but her eyes stayed on Daryl even as she placed her hand on his shoulder and they briefly held one another's hands.

"I spoke to Hershel. Asked him if adding some more cool cloths might help. He said try his legs, feet and neck so I figure I'd give it a try. Can't hurt right?"

Rick nodded and while she started to dip the towels in the bucket, Rick pulled back the blanket on Daryl. He was still fully dresses from the last time he left his room and washed away all the medicine. Rick pulled back the waistband of Daryl's trousers, checking for underwear and once he was sure he wasn't going to expose the man completely, he unbuttoned and unzipped the trousers and worked them down Daryl's legs. He put them on the bed next to Daryl and Lori wrung out the towel one final time before laying it across Daryl's legs. She then did the same thing with one over his feet and Rick pulled him forward as she wrapped one around his neck.

"Hershel said just to leave them on and don't keep reapplying."

Rick laid Daryl back down and pulled one of the light blankets back over him. It was a struggle to keep Daryl cool enough to help with the fever, yet not to let him endure the relentless shaking his body would endure if he got too chilled.

"Mom, Dad you gotta come see." Carl said as he stood at the door behind the pair.

Exchanging a glance, Rick and Lori followed Carl who led them back to their cell. They passed Hershel on the way who smiled at them as he headed into Daryl's cell.

When they reached their shared cell, they could barely step inside.

Lori placed a hand over her mouth as she took in the scene. "My God."

"Think we got enough stuff for the baby?" T Dog asked.

Rick and Lori were about as dumbstruck as any of the others had ever seen them.

"Thank you so much," Lori said, stepping forward towards T Dog, the closest to her, throwing her arms around him which surprised him somewhat.

"You have no idea what a relief it is to see this stuff here," Rick assured them.

"Well, we were out getting stuff, no point leaving all this gear behind when we'd need it later anyway," Maggie said, touched by their reaction.

"We got a bunch of new medical gear too. Hershel seemed pleased." Glenn added.

Maggie nodded. "I found some sedatives, knock Daryl out for the count and stop any of his crazy antics and let him heal. Finally."

"That'd be a relief for everybody," Lori agreed.

"There's barely enough room for us in here any more," Rick chuckled.

"Yeah maybe we shouldn't have put everything in here..." Glenn said, questioning the decision to have done that in the first place.

"It's fine," Lori assured them. "It'll be nice to look through it all. I can't thank you enough."

"We're grateful," Rick added.

Maggie hoisted up another bag. "This is the rest of the medical supplies. We're going to lock them up for now, make sure there are no more accidents."

Rick smiled.

Everything was going to be okay. He could feel it.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes: **You know, when I started writing this, I felt kinda bad for how angsty I made this. And now, in retrospect, this is so happy compared to Season three! Nevertheless, here's the final chapter.

* * *

10.

He woke a few times and everything seemed hazy.

But this time, everything seemed clearer. His head didn't feel quite so fuzzy and he could make out the voices as he heard Carl laughing somewhere in the prison. Other conversation floated down and he lay there, listening the the others speak.  
They all sounded so calm and relaxed. Something must be right at the minute.

He rubbed a hand across his face before sitting up slowly. He thought he might feel dizzy, but taking it slowly seemed to be working for him.

He sat there for a moment before slipping his legs out of the bed and onto the floor. The coldness of the floor was a little surprising and he looked for his boots. They didn't seem to be anywhere in the room and he frowned. Who the hell would take his boots out of his room? Looking around closer, he couldn't see any of his items that belonged to him in the room. He pulled back the the blanket covering him and realised underneath, he was only in boxers and a vest. He got to the door and peered round the corner, not able to see anyone else but hear them from somewhere else.

He cautiously stepped out of the room and felt like he was in a different room than he used to be.

It seemed to be further away from everything else.

He walked carefully until he got to one of the cell doors and saw Lori inside. He suddenly felt self conscious, walking around in his underwear and darted backwards peering round the corner.

She smiled gently at him.

"You feeling better?"

He nodded as he looked at the room, certain this was where he used to sleep. She seemed to notice his confusion. "We had to move you a couple of times. We wanted to make sure the room you were in was... going to help you get better," She didn't really want to mention the stench of his infected wound or the fact he vomited in another room. When she had used the damp towels to help bring down Daryl's fever, he'd gone through bedding and blankets with the damp towels and the sweat.  
However, keeping him sedated until the fever broke and Hershel was convinced he wasn't going to get sick again had paid off and Lori had helped Carol get Daryl's first room get ready for him to move back into. It was fair to say they hadn't expected him to get up so quickly, especially having him just wander down the hallways.

"You're clothes are in here. Sorry we were trying to get this room sorted for when you were up," Lori apologised. "Why don't you come in and change. I'll go get you something to eat. Come down when you're ready, okay?"

He nodded and waited for her to leave before he quickly went into the room, eager to get some real clothes on. He changed quickly and really, he wanted to clean himself up. He couldn't quite tell but he was pretty sure he stank rotten. Then again, maybe the others had kept him semi-clean, considering he was sick. He still felt gross though.

He dressed as quickly as he could and he could still hear some voices close by, though it seemed as though some must have moved on.

He looked down the hallway and considered making his way down to the kitchen where Lori would be. He was hungry but he felt a little apprehensive.

Suddenly Rick was walking towards him and he darted back inside the room and then stood by the door, feeling stupid. Rick had been looking at him, he wasn't hiding from the guy, yet he'd felt the need to hide from him but he seemed to remember Rick being mad at him about something and he wasn't sure if it happened or if it was some crazy dream he'd had.

He felt like he should get something, do something to justify the fact he'd just come back in the room but there was no time and Rick was stood there at the door suddenly, smiling.

"Lori told me you caught her before she managed to get the room sorted,"

"Yeah, guess I ruined that," he said, not quite meeting Rick's eye.

The other man shrugged. "It doesn't really matter much. Everyone was just relieved when you started to get better. I don't mind telling you that I started to fear the worst."

What could Daryl say to that? He locked eyes with Rick briefly, felt bad that he'd put the group through all this shit for a stupid dog bite. "I'm sorry," he blurted out before he really thought about it. Damn, he had to get his shit together.

"Daryl, we thought you were gonna die. You were really sick. I think you're allowed to be a little off," Rick said. When Daryl didn't say anything or acknowledge Rick in anyway, Rick pushed on, "Anyway, most of the others are out securing the perimeter so you want be crowded if you wanna get some food, okay?"

Daryl nodded and watched as Rick left him alone. He really had no reason to stay in the room so shortly after he followed Rick and headed down to the kitchen. The kitchen was empty but Lori had left some food for him. He sat and ate it, enjoying the peace, feeling like although Rick had said everyone was out, he'd somehow be ambushed still.

He heard the sound of the door closing and footsteps heading his way. The steps were quick and light and he expected Carol or one of the women. He didn't expect Carl Grimes to look in at him, beaming smile on his face.

"Come outside!" Carl exclaimed excitedly and didn't wait for Daryl to say anything, he headed off quickly. Daryl followed the youngster, although some way behind him.

The door had already closed behind Carl by the time Daryl got there and he didn't step outside, the sun seemed far too bright compared to the darkness of the prison. He held his hand to his head to shade his eyes and stayed where he was, but that apparently wasn't good enough and soon enough Carl was back.

"You need to borrow my hat?" he offered.

Daryl removed his hand and squinted but moved from the door. "Whatcha want?" he asked and Carl headed off back the way he'd just come. Out into the prison's fields he saw some of the group gathered together and he couldn't really tell what they were up to until he came closer. And damn it if they weren't playing fetch with a fucking dog.

He wondered briefly if he wasn't in some fever induced coma for a minute because after all the drama they'd been through because of him and that dog, they'd gone shopping for another one? What the hell!

Carl had returned with the others, he was stood a few feet from Daryl who came to a stop when he reached the boy. "What the hell?" Daryl asked, still disbelieving the group had got a dog.

"Maggie and Glenn went on a run to get Mom some maternity stuff and things for the baby. And they found the dog. Hershel thinks she's just a puppy still."

The dog was very different to Bella. Looked like some kinda spaniel cross, floppy, fluffy ears and a shaggy coat. It's tail seemed to be forever wagging and despite everything, everyone seemed to be happy around the dog, not worried about getting bitten.

"I named her Poppy, because I liked that name," Carl said. "Wanna play with her?"

Daryl shook his head. "Kid, I'm done just standing here. M'gonna have to get back and sleep soon," he admitted. He'd barely been on his feet the last few ... days, weeks? He had no idea how long it had been but he was weak as shit right now.

"Oh," Carl said sadly

"I might sit out here for a bit though. It's nice to be outside. Go play with the dog," Daryl said and Carl smiled at him before racing over to the others. Daryl watched the others mostly step aside when Carl came over, though Glenn and Beth kept playing when Carl joined them, the others seemed content to watch. And they seemed happy.

Daryl sat against the wall of the prison and watched the group for a while. Rick eventually made his way over and sat beside him on the ground.  
Daryl looked at Rick and grimaced slightly. "Poppy, really?"

Rick laughed. "How can I say no? He always wanted a dog."

"Poppy the puppy," Daryl said. He shook his head.

"She's pretty good. Glenn and Maggie found her shut in some building so she's a little bit more tame than Bella was. She's not had to live wild. From what they found, it seemed like someone looked after her for a while but when it got too much for them, they took their own life. Left food and water out for the dog and checked out.

Daryl thought back to the day he'd put Bella down. He was about to do the same damn thing himself. Despair was a funny thing. Especially when coupled with a raging fever.

He then thought, had he ever thanked Rick for that? For saving his life. He was shit at the whole being grateful thing. He'd not had a lot of practice.

How should he start it? Thanking Rick? He had a lot more than just Rick to thank though. Hershel for one. And whoever had gone on those supply runs. Lori and Carol for the way they'd been sorting out his room for him.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out. It wasn't really a thank you, instead an apology. It would have to do.

Rick looked at the man for a moment. There was to be nothing else said about it from Daryl's perspective. Rick merely shrugged. "Nothing to apologise for. You were sick, that's all there is to it.."

And like that, it was forgotten.

When the others decided that it was enough playing with the dog for the day and they started to head back and he was still sat there with Rick, none of them looked at him accusingly. He didn't feel anything but support from the group. he heard chatter of what they would eat that evening. Carl and the dog were the last to come in and as they went past Daryl, the dog stopped and approached Daryl, sniffing him unsure. He let it sniff him and then patted its head before the dog followed Carl. This was his dog and that was fine by him. The kid would probably do a better job than he had looking after her. He couldn't do any worse.

Rick stood up. "You coming?" he asked, holding out his arm to help the other man up.

Daryl reached up for Rick's hand as he pulled him to his feet. "I'm thinking I need to get and hunt again soon."

"Well... maybe a few more days before you're on your feet a little longer, huh?"

Daryl nodded. "Thought maybe I could take some of the others out. teach 'em a few bits."

"Be handy. I know I'd like to have a little more knowledge of surviving out there. You never know when it's gonna come in useful."

They stepped inside the prison and closed the door behind them. It was going to be okay, he knew that now.  
This prison would be a good thing.  
Their life inside it would be safe.  
And they could all be together.

The End

* * *

So that's it!  
I'm sorry it was so long and drawn out. I'm sorry the ending wasn't more exciting. I'm sorry it's a wash out compared to the show (because I can't really stand to see these characters die) and anything else I need to apologise for.

Thanks for the reviews and shit throughout. :)


End file.
